The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

With the crisis looming, George immediately looked around for a way to escape.

Unfortunately, apart from a dark, dense forest that felt like a trap, those shadows appeared everywhere else at some unknown time.

"Damn it, looks like we have no choice but to fight them head-on."

George suddenly raised the amulet from his chest.

The warm amulet seemed to sense the surrounding darkness surging, and shone brightly in the air it was raised.

George saw that the surroundings were being illuminated by the scorching light emanating from the amulet in his hand, and he also felt waves of heat in the dream realm.

Those shadows, however, were clearly hit harder. The surrounding shadows were bleached and faded away by the light, as if they were being illuminated by a shadowless lamp, and those further away moved away even faster.

But George, focused on the tall, dark figure, remained unmoved.

It remained standing still, its cold gaze fixed firmly on him.

The deadlock must be broken.

George's gaze swept over the lantern that the old man was carrying.

A thought flashed through my mind—light and burning are extensions of the power of the "candle"!

He slammed into his own body, moving closer to the old man, Mo, who was warily trying to observe the invisible battle.

George then tossed the lamp he was carrying into the bushes nearby, and at the same time, he urgently hissed to the old man:

"Fire! We need light!"

He then entered the dream realm again.

Old Man Mo kept his eyes fixed on George's movements, and after seeing George's actions and instructions, he suddenly whistled.

The hunting dogs immediately barked and drove the two horses away from the lake.

Then, he rushed to the spot where George had thrown the lamp and smashed the burning lamp, pulled a flat iron pot from his pocket, and poured the liquor inside onto the kerosene-soaked bushes.

"puff!"

The already lit flames leaped up instantly, greedily licking the fuel.

In the blink of an eye, a burst of flame shot up from the ground, and the bright, leaping CD player dispelled the surrounding darkness.

In the dream realm, the moment George saw the flames rise, a layer of black mist appeared on the dark figure, as if steam were rising.

Its shape appeared even more blurred and indistinct in the firelight.

Just as George was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the humanoid shadow begin to move, slowly approaching him.

Oh no, did I upset it?

In a moment of desperation, George infused his spirituality into the amulet.

The amulet's light suddenly became even more intense, and the black shadow churned as if it had been doused with boiling oil, with white smoke bursting out one after another.

But it still approached George slowly and steadily.

George stared at the approaching shadowy figure, and could only increase the input of his spiritual energy, but the dark figure seemed unmoved by the increasingly violent fluctuations in its body.

He carried a flute, but the amulet was ineffective and couldn't even stop the enemy, let alone his half-baked "Song of Glass Island".

With nowhere else to turn, George wanted to return to reality and prioritize using the Purifying Potion given to him by the Viscount to save his life.

But before he could make a move, George heard a very clear "crack" sound in the dream world.

The dark area around the hollow eye sockets of the shadowy figure, emitting a faint white light, resembled a shattered eggshell.

A bright white light suddenly shone from the empty eye socket.

At the same time, an indescribable, strange sense of closeness, a mixture of sadness and warmth, struck George without warning.

In the hazy light, he heard a soft female voice.

"Run!"

George was deeply shaken, and even the spiritual energy he channeled into the amulet momentarily faltered.

But the voice sounded like a dream, and the strange sensation came and went quickly.

The light quickly dimmed and dissipated, and even the dark cracks near the eye sockets of the tall, dark figure were constantly being repaired.

George sensed something was wrong and was about to make a move when he suddenly heard a loud bang behind him.

Crack!

A beam of light, several times stronger than the light emitted by the amulet in his hand and almost tangible, shot out from behind him and landed directly on the humanoid shadow.

The shadowy figure, illuminated by the light, quickly retreated.

Seeing this, George turned around and saw a rapidly expanding bright spot in the sky, shining with an undeniable light.

He had to exit the dream realm, only to discover that the person who had flown in was actually his father, the viscount.

He flew to George's side in a matter of moments, and the wind he brought even temporarily suppressed the burning bushes around them.

George saw the Viscount's current power—he was clearly equipped with top-of-the-line gear.

A golden cloak that shone like the sun, a golden crown inlaid with a sun-shaped gemstone, a sword in his left hand with bright white flames burning from hilt to tip, and a large amber staff with an inner halo inlaid at the top in his right hand.

As soon as the viscount landed, he looked into the distance with a solemn expression: "It's a pity, she escaped."

George followed his gaze.

The humanoid black figure and the other shadows vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed, leaving only the firelight by the lake.

The crisis is over.

He quickly leaned closer and asked, "Father, who is that? Do you know 'her'? And are you alright?"

The Viscount sighed: "That must be the mastermind behind the decaying lake. The only reason you used the amulet was because you encountered it. Right now, I'm in poor condition and have no choice but to rely on these tools I made in the past to deal with it."

As he spoke, the Viscount pointed his cane at George.

George felt a warm, pleasant comfort, as if he had been basking in the sun for a long time on a winter afternoon.

"This way, you won't have any lingering problems, and your spirituality and physical strength will be restored."

He sheathed the white sword, now extinguished in his left hand, at his waist and nodded, saying, "Using fire is a very good idea. I see you still have a vial of potion left to pour; go and finish it—that shadowy figure won't appear anytime soon."

George agreed and watched as the Viscount casually extinguished the flames burning in the bushes before calmly walking toward the mansion.

He turned and took the reins from the old man, who had prevented the hunting dog from taking the horse back, mounted the horse, and finished pouring the remaining potion.

As George stood on the third shore, watching Old Man Mo pour the last dose of medicine into the lake, and the dark red water bubbled up again and quickly cleared, he habitually focused his mind inward.

The image of a card table appeared in my mind as expected.

This time, in addition to the original cards, two brand-new cards were quietly floating on the table.

One of the cards also has a line of small "light" text below it indicating the expiration date.

[Light Purifying Agent (Residual)]

[Sexual Aspects: Candle, Star, Potion]

Ancient Druids often...

[Insufficient quantity available; only formula analysis possible; usage time limit: 32:39:58]

The countdown numbers are decreasing second by second.

The other card depicts a white cube.

【Pure White Cube - Purification】

[Sexual characteristics: candle, string, state, medium]

The name "Crescent Moon" is attributed to the goddess Selene. Its pure light always blankets the earth at night, purifying the impurities of daytime beings; the phases of the moon signify this process. A certain venerable lawgiver, through a pure white testament sealed in the name of the Crescent Moon, based on this fact. You have received purification performed with the pure white cube, witnessing a part of his work.

[Status Effect: Accelerates spiritual recovery and slightly strengthens the astral body during the duration (card [Rationality] cooldown has been reset), but will also be marked by the Herrscher of Purification. Duration: 71:46:28]